Documentation via dental charting has been used for several decades by dental practitioners to help in treatment planning, as well as to represent a record of the condition of the patient's mouth. Historically, dental charts are created on paper. A typical paper chart shows two-dimensional line drawings of permanent dentition teeth. The teeth are illustrated in isolation in linear rows with spaces between each tooth to allow room for a dental practitioner to make hand-written notes to denote different dental conditions or restorations. A dental chart can include a periodontal chart having a series of lines to allow hand-written marks designating pocket depth.
Dental charting software development has followed traditional paper-based charting and commonly provides a display of a traditional paper chart showing linear rows of spaced-apart teeth which can be marked up by a dental practitioner.